RanNeko: Wildcat
by Chronos the Cat
Summary: What if Ranma fell in the Spring of Drowned Cat instead of the Spring of Drowned Girl? Separated from Genma and unaware he can change back, he must learn to accept his cat side if he is to survive.


**Ran-Neko **

**("Wildcat")**

**--~--~--~--**

A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction

by Chronos the Cat

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Prelude/One-Shot: "Meow!"

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Gray clouds blanketed the skies, and mist drifted across the Pools of Sorrow - Jusenkyo, the Training-Ground of Cursed Springs.

Through the mist, the sounds of fighting could be heard. At the center of the training grounds, a fat man with glasses and a bandanna, and a pony-tailed teenage boy, both dressed in training gis, were sparring upon the bamboo poles that dotted the land and springs.

Nearby, a Chinese man in a Communist uniform warned, "Please stop! Is very bad if fall in spring!"

The two martial artists ignored him. Genma wasn't the sort to heed warnings, while his son Ranma knew better than to take his attention from his father when they were sparring, (or most any other time, really).

Suddenly, the two leaped at each other, trading punches and kicks in the air, then landing effortlessly on two new poles. Only the guide noticed as the pole Genma landed on began to crack under his weight.

"Pools are magic! If you fall in, you become cursed!" The Guide tried to reason with his patrons.

Heedless, Genma and Ranma launched themselves at each other again. This time, Ranma's attacks were enough to change Genma's flight path, knocking him into the spring below.

The guide exclaimed, "Oh no! Mr. Customer fall into Spring of Drowned Panda! Tragic tale of Panda who drown in pool two thousand year ago! Now whoever falls in turned into a panda!"

Ranma landed on the pole Genma had vacated, keeping his balance even as the weakened pole swayed. Suddenly, out of the water burst a giant panda, wearing Genma's gi and glasses. It landed on one of the poles, in a fighting stance. It then launched himself at Ranma.

Ranma was too shocked to think at first, but ingrained habits led to Ranma sparing with the panda anyway. As Ranma was forced back to another pole, he was able to overcome his shock enough to recognize the panda's style, and knew he was fighting Genma. However, he failed to notice a spot halfway down the pole Genma was on splintering under the panda's weight.

Ranma knew that though Genma loved to train him in dangerous ways and in dangerous places, this wasn't the sort of danger Genma would willingly risk without some sort of reward in mind. "Pops, stop! Do you want to get us **both** cursed?!"

Genma seemed to not hear him, as he launched himself at Ranma again. In anger, Ranma launched a devastating counter-attack on Genma, sending the panda to the muddy ground next to a pool. Genma-panda quickly jumped onto another pole, while Ranma landed on the pole Genma had vacated.

However, as Ranma started to rest his weight on the pole, he instantly knew he had made a mistake. The pole snapped in half, and started to fall.

Ranma twisted around to see where he was going to land. Another pool. The guide had said that each pool had a tragic tale... He couldn't risk getting transformed like his father! Even as he fell, he kicked at the pole, sending him over the pool.

Thanks to the aerial nature of the Saotome style, Ranma was able to put just the right force into the leap to land on the ground between pools. However, thanks to his unfavorable launch, he was unable to position himself to land on his feet. Instead, he landed on his side - and the environment once again worked against him, as the "ground" he'd landed on turned out to be mud slippery enough that his momentum carried him straight through it into the next pool.

Genma-Panda jumped down to the ground near the pool, ready to attack again when his son surfaced. The guide was saying something, but Genma tuned it out.

* * *

In the water, Ranma felt his body shrinking, his limbs reshaping, and fur spreading over his skin. He wondered what he had turned into, but had more pressing matters - such as getting free of his over-sized clothes and getting to the surface before the spring became "Spring of Drowned Young Martial Artist".

Finally, he struggled free, and swam up and toward the shore. He gasped for breath upon breaking the surface, and breathed a sigh of relief upon reaching the shore. He then without thought shook himself, sending water droplets everywhere.

* * *

A form burst out of the water, and Genma started to swing his paw at it. He stopped mid-swing, in shock at the small form that swam to shore and shook the water out of its' fur. A red cat.

Then, what the Guide had been saying registered. "Oh no! Young sir fall into spring of drowned cat! Tale of cat who drown there one thousand eight hundred year ago! Now whomever falls into it becomes cat!"

Genma-panda gulped and held up a sign saying, "Oh, shit."

* * *

Something about the way Ranma's new body had moved as he swam out of the pool and walked away from it had seemed disturbingly familiar. However, he couldn't place it. It also seemed quite natural in a way – he didn't even have to think about what he was doing. It didn't even occur to him that he was walking on all fours. He did wonder, though, why everything seemed so big.

"Oh no! Young sir fall into spring of drowned cat! Tale of cat who drown there one thousand eight hundred year ago! Now whomever falls into it becomes cat!"

Ranma stiffened at the words. It couldn't be! Although, that would explain why the way his body moved seemed so familiar... He looked down at himself. Fur. Paws. He turned and looked into the pool. CAT!

He instinctively jumped back in fear. Then his conscious mind reasserted itself enough that Ranma was able to remind himself this was only a reflection. He inched forward and looked again. It really was the face of a cat staring up at him from the pool instead of his own face.

Flashes of feline eyes in the dark brought shivers down his spine, as fear came raging to the surface. Fear of the cats, ready to eat him; and fear of something else, something crawling up from the depths of his mind, something that threatened his concept of who he was.

No! That couldn't be his reflection! What the guide had said, what he had seen, had to be wrong! It was impossible that he could be a cat! There was no way a simple pool of water could have changed him into a cat!

He began to slowly back away from the pool. He turned his head, trying to avoid the sight, and caught sight of another cat! No, it was only another reflection – but it wasn't his, it couldn't be – which meant there must be a cat here... He looked around trying to find the cat, and kept seeing more reflections. Cats! All around him! Trying to get him! He had to get away!

* * *

Genma and the Guide watched as the cat looked down at itself in shock and fear, then looked at its reflection in the pool. It leaped back in surprise, giving a fearful yowl. It then slowly approached the pool, before backing away again, it's fur raised.

Before the Guide could explain that they could be temporarily transformed back to human with hot water, the cat caught a glimpse of itself in another pool. It glanced around fearfully, only to see more reflections.

Genma felt a sinking in his stomach as he realized what was happening. He once again berated himself for not reading the last page of the training manual before teaching Ranma the Neko-ken.

Genma launched himself at Ranma-cat, hoping to grab the cat and get him away from all these reminders of what he had become. But even as Genma-panda dove at the cat, the cat snapped, and bolted towards the edge of the training grounds. Genma gave pursuit, but he was unfamiliar with his new body, and the cat was running at an incredible pace. Before long, the cat had disappeared into the woods at the edge of the training grounds, leaving Genma-panda in the dust.

Genma stared at the woods where he'd last seen the red cat that had replaced his Ranma, and couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever see the boy again.

* * *

As his four legs carried him away from the horrible reflections, Ranma couldn't tell what he was running from – the cats, himself, or that giant Panda chasing him.

The Panda, at least, he was able to outrun... but before long it wasn't a person's mind in the cats' body, it was a cat's mind – a cat's mind forged in a time of pain and terror years before...

* * *

_Sometime later..._

Ranma shuddered as he started to wake up. He had had another nightmare about cats. It had been several years since the Neko-ken training, and still he had nightmares. Would they ever stop?

Uncurling himself, Ranma stretched out upon the cold stony ground, and slowly opened his eyes. He was in a bamboo forest. That was right, he and his father had been traveling through China...

Then something far closer than the nearest tree registered in his mind. The paw and front legs of a cat, originating from somewhere below and behind his head, almost seeming to embrace him (though he felt no weight upon him)...

He jumped up, half expecting to have to struggle, and spun around, but there wasn't anything there. _"What the heck?"_ he wondered silently. Then it occurred to him that he was standing on four feet. He looked down, to see that the paws of the cat belonged to him!

As his mind went around in circles, his terror built, until he blacked out again.

The next thing he knew, Ranma was waking up again. It was cold and damp, and he could feel the wet dirt underneath him through his clothes. Why was he sleeping without a mat or sleeping bag? And why did his clothes feel so strange? They moved with him, like a part of his body instead of something covering it... and somehow, his privates felt exposed while his face felt covered...

He opened his eyes, and looked down at himself. It wasn't clothing covering him, it was fur... He had jumped up and backed up several feet before his fear went from an unthinking terror back down to a paralyzing fear. He was a cat! No! Impossible! How could this happen?!

_Yowls filled the air, and slitted eyes peered at him from the darkness. Suddenly, the cats attacked, tearing at the fish cakes wrapped around him, and at his skin while they were at it..._

No, that wasn't it... the Neko-ken just made him act like a cat, it didn't turn him into a cat. Besides, he never remembered what happened when he was under the influence of the Neko-ken...

_As the torn ropes came loose, he tore what fish he could off of him and scrambled to the wall, trying to get away from the cats. But some of the fish still clung to him, he still smelled of fish, and the cats were still starving. As the cats advanced on him, he wondered if he was about to die..._

Ranma ran through the bamboo forest on all fours, as if running could save him from his inner demons, or change him back into a person.

Ranma struggled for control of his mind. He could feel the Neko-ken trying to take over, and several times the forest around him faded as he stared to black out. But he kept fighting for control. If he gave in to it now, he had a feeling he might never come out of it...

_Once again he was in the pit, the cats advancing on him. He knew he couldn't just lie there passively this time, hoping the cats would be gentle with him. If he didn't fight, the cats would maul him again, and there was no guarantee his father would be able to save him again._

_He squirmed free of some of the ropes and untied the others, then attacked the cats. He was a skilled martial artist... a few hungry cats should have been no problem for him. But it was too dark for him to see properly, and there were more than a few cats there. A lot more than a few. _

_As the cats overwhelmed him, he thought, "At least I'll die fighting."_

How?! How had this happened? How could he possibly become a cat?!

Finally, he remembered: _Jusnekyo. The cursed training grounds. Fighting on the poles. Pop falling in one, and coming out as a panda. Himself, falling, landing on the ground, then sliding into another pool... A reflection in the water, the face of a red cat._

Ranma thought, _"Damn you, Pop! This is all your fault! Wasn't the Neko-Ken bad enough?!" _Ranma couldn't believe it - Genma's mistakes had cost him badly before, but this time he couldn't just expect to heal from what had happened to him.

_With a scowl, Genma tossed the boy into the pit yet again. "Come on, Boy, stop fooling around and learn the technique! Only a wimp would be beaten by a bunch of cats, and I didn't raise you to be a wimp!"_

_Once again, the starving cats attacked. Once again, Ranma fought back. And once again, their numbers and ferocity began to take its' toll on him. But then suddenly, something changed within him. All the attacks the cats had been using upon him came to mind, and he knew how to do them. The human hadn't been able to defeat the cats... he knew, only another cat could do that. _

_With a warning yowl, he began to fight back as a cat, invisible claws extending from his fingers and cutting into his attackers. His teeth seemed sharper too, and a few bites taught the other cats the folly of coming in too close to him. Before long, several cats lay dead before him. That wasn't new. What was knew was that the rest of the cats had backed away. They knew that this "cat" wasn't food, this "cat" was an enemy they couldn't defeat. Better to risk starvation than to assure their own death by attacking. _

_Great pleasure filled him to know he was the top cat now. But he didn't smile. Cat's don't smile. Nor did he purr, though he wanted to – this wasn't the time for that. With a leap, and a swipe of his hand to break through the trap-door, he escaped the pit, and turned to face the fat human standing there. He remembered this man – it was the man who had thrown him into the pit. With an angry yowl, he leaped at the man._

Ranma-cat stopped suddenly. Where had that come from? He had never remember what happened when under the influence of the Neko-ken before...

Ranma trembled, as he continued to fight for his sanity. He was a person, not a cat! He had to remember that. Of course, one look down at his paws was enough to call that assertion into doubt. The Neko-ken screamed in his mind that he was a cat, and had always been one.

_No!_ He might have the form of a cat now, but he had been born a human! ...But even so, could he really say he was human now...? He was a cat in body, and so far as he knew, would be staying that way permanently. He already had the mind of a cat waiting to take over, in the form of the Neko-ken insanity. Why not give in? Let the cat mind run the cat body? ...But then, what would happen to the mind of the human Ranma?

_The cat-in-a-human-body known as Ranma chased the fat man around, injuring him, but not killing him. Something in the back of his mind cared for the man, and couldn't stand the thought of his death, despite the harm the man had caused Ranma..._

_Then, a kind old lady found Ranma, and calmed him down. In the care of a friend, the "cat" went to sleep, and dreamed of being human...._

So, even in the throes of the Neko-ken, a trace of Ranma had remained. But Ranma wasn't satisfied with being just a tickle in the back of the Cat's mind. He had to find a way to keep all of his human thoughts and memories. ... Didn't he?

At least he would have time to think about it - he still felt lingering fear and panic, but apparently after going "cat" twice in a row, he was becoming desensitized to it enough to no longer trigger the mental transformation.

He walked around a bit, getting used to the feel of walking four-legged (though he didn't have to think about how to walk – presumably either the curse or the Neko-Ken had provided him with that information).

As Ranma walked forward tentatively, thinking of what it felt like to walk on four feet, and not noticing his fear continuing to drop, he wondered, could he stand living as a cat with a human mind? Again the thought occurred to him that it might be better to let the Neko-ken take charge...

He remembered the first time he'd seen a cat after coming out of the fear that had welled up in him, as memories of his nightmare in the pit filled him. And yet, just as after waking from the Neko-ken, he had refused to remember how it had ended. He had refused to remember what he now knew was his triumph over the cats he feared - because it had been as a cat, the very thing he feared, that he had triumphed.

Memories passed through his head, of the other times he entered the Neko-Ken. Of battling with the skill and grace of a cat, and of letting his opponents live. And also of other things he had done... the freedom of not caring what others thought of him, the joy of being petted, the sound of his own purring...

In the haze of the Neko-ken, as he tried to act as he knew other cats to, he tended to have difficulty remembering his life as a human... But now, looking back on his those times, with his human mind engaged, he saw that even then a part of who he had been had remained... Neko-Ranma was indeed Ranma, just forgetful of who he was...

Ranma sat on a ridge overlooking a forest filled valley. He didn't know where he was, but he knew he hadn't fully fallen into the Neko-ken this time, he'd just been lost in thought as he wandered the forest. Then again, now that he was remembering what he'd experienced under the Neko-ken, maybe the technique wouldn't make him loose his memory anymore...

So. Part of his fear of cats had been a fear of himself, and what he became under the Neko-ken. Realizing this didn't really diminish the fear all that much, but as he looked down at his fur-covered body again, suppressing a shudder, he realized that he had to confront this fear. After all, this time his transformation wasn't going to go away with a good sleep...

_When the cat calmed down from whatever had given him that scare, he looked around and assessed his situation. _

_He was surprised to realize his body was different from what it used to be. For one thing, he was smaller than he remembered having been in the past, even when he was young - though still large enough to be respected by other cats. He had fur, instead of those annoying coverings he usually found himself in. Most importantly, he seemed to be able to move more smoothly and naturally than ever before. Except for the loss of size, he was rather pleased by the changes, though he couldn't figure out how it had happened._

_He didn't recognize the area, but he didn't smell any other cats around, either. He decided he would need to look around for anything familiar. While he was at it, he should probably also keep an eye out for food, water, and temporary shelter – one never knew when such things might come in handy._

_Now having a plan, he confidently explored the area. At one point, he spotted a bird pecking at the ground. A little hungry, he had tried to pounce on it, but it had flown away. Obviously, the knowledge he'd gained when he became a cat (first mentally then later physically) hadn't included enough skill to hunt properly. Still, with his fighting and stealth skills, it should only require a little practice..._

_Eventually, the effects of his long run earlier caught up with him, and he lay down in a nice clearing he'd found. When he woke up, it was Ranma that woke – as always, the Neko-ken had been unable to withstand the human dreams that forced their way into his sleeping head. However, it wasn't long before the fear surged up, and the Neko-ken returned..._

_The cat continued to explore his surroundings, noting water sources, places with some shelter, and places where he smelled small animals... It took him a few tries to catch anything, but finally he managed to catch a mouse..._

Ranma shuddered, and decided not to think about that right now.

_When night fell, the cat was pleased to discover the wonders of a cat's night vision. It wasn't exactly seeing in the dark, but on a cloudy night, it might as well be a near-full moon. He supposed it had to do with the strange change his body had went through; like the other changes it felt like his body had been wrong before and had now been corrected._

_In the dark, his eyesight and sense of smell gave him a greater advantage over the small creatures he hunted, and he was able to catch a few more rodents. _Ranma felt himself getting sick. _As dawn approached, he realized he was no where near any of the shelters he'd noticed. Oh well, he could manage a few hours sleeping in the open, so long as it didn't rain. _

_Once again, it was Ranma that woke from the nap, instead of the cat. And o__nce again, the knowledge that he was a cat started to call up the Neko-ken. But this time it wasn't quite as much of a shock, and Ranma was able to think a bit about the situation... The familiar battle between human thought and feline thought began... but without a cat to look in the face, the triumph of the cat mindset was far from inevitable..._

_Indeed, for once the question wasn't whether he had to be a cat to survive encountering a cat. The question was, if he was a cat already, how much of a cat did he have to be?_

Ranma sighed (though the cat in him found the action strange). He still didn't know the answer to that question.

He wondered what he was supposed to do now. Could he be cured? Where was his father? And, for that matter, where was **he**?

He supposed he should find his father – he'd want to know Ranma was all right. On the other hand, they couldn't exactly continue their training with Ranma as a cat. At least, he assumed not. Still, maybe the Guide might know of a cure, or leads on how they might find one. Yes, he should definitely get back in touch with humanity (and the Panda he called Pop). He didn't want to live the rest of his life as a cat.

Of course, there was one problem with this plan – he had no idea how to find the Panda or the Guide. He would have to start by looking around for a clue as to his location, the path he'd took, or Genma and the Guide.

He found what he thought might be his trail, and his now stronger nose picked up a scent he felt for some reason was his own, but the trail was fragmentary and crisscrossed itself, making it difficult to determine the original direction he'd entered the area from...

As the day went on, he became slowly more frustrated by his inability to find his way back to his father and/or Jusenkyo. To add insult to injury, he eventually started to get hungry – but though hunting would be no problem, he had no way to start a fire in cat form, nor could he find any plants even edible to a human, let alone a cat. He might be a cat in body, but so long as he wasn't under the influence of the Neko-ken, damned if he was going to eat like one!

As the sun started to set he found a flat and dry patch of ground. Tired from all his traveling he settled down and went to sleep.

His dreams were memories of the nightmare of the Neko-Ken training, but now instead of loosing himself in the "cat-mind", he was physically transformed into a cat! He also had dreams of living as a cat in both Japanese towns and Chinese wilderness.

When he woke up again, he was disorientated. Part of him expected to be human, while another part felt like he had always been a cat. Furthermore, he wasn't where he remembered going to sleep – now he was in a nook formed by a rock and a fallen log.

After a moment, the memories of traveling here returned – but he recognized it as a memory of the cat-mind. This frightened Ranma a bit – this was the first time he had gone from human-mind to cat-mind in his sleep instead of the other way around. He also wasn't too happy with what the memories revealed – this time he had hunted and killed a bird. (Not that he hadn't done so as a human before, but as a human he had cooked the bird before eating it!)

As he got up, he noticed that he sun had yet to come up – but he could still see rather well.

Following his own scent, he made his way back to where he'd been exploring the previous day, and continued looking for signs of Genma and/or Jusenkyo.

Unfortunately, he kept remembering his dreams – dreams of his times in the Neko-Ken, including the times since physically becoming a cat, and dreams of his human life but with him as a cat in them.

Thankfully, even as a cat he hadn't ever done anything that went against his moral code. However, he had done some embarrassing things (such as giving himself a tongue-bath), and he was disgusted by the memories of eating birds and rodents. Also, his very form caused him to be in a constant state of tension – and the more he remembered being a cat, the more the fear wormed its way into his heart – though the outright terror needed to send him into the Neko-Ken remained thankfully absent.

He was distracted from both exploring and thinking on his dreams when he noticed a mouse searching for seeds in a patch of grass. Memories of hunting as a cat flooded his mind, and a strong impulse told him to go after the mouse.

But he was human, and couldn't stoop that low as to eat mice... The very idea was disgusting... And besides, he wasn't very hungry... He forced the impulse down, and returned to his explorations.

...The next day, he woke up starving. Ranma almost wished his cat-self had taken over this morning, as it would have found an animal to eat, and Ranma could have made himself ignore the memory. As it was, Ranma would have to find Genma or the Guide soon, or give in and hunt as a cat...

Deciding he needed to change strategies, he decided to climb a tree to get a look from a higher vantage point. Looking up at a likely tree, he wondered how high he could jump in this form. He knew cats were naturally good jumpers, but would he be able to jump anything like he could as a human? Aiming for a branch several yards above him, he crouched and leaped.

He found himself standing, on the branch, perfectly balanced. He could barely believe it. Only extremely skilled martial artists and athletes, such as himself, could make a jump like that... And though cats could make incredible jumps, something told him normal cats couldn't make jumps quite that impressive. It seemed his human body's conditioning had transferred over to his cat form.

He felt a great relief at this. Partially because it would make his journey easier, but also because his martial arts were a great part of who he was. Knowing he still had some of his former skills made him feel a lot more like himself.

He jumped up the tree from branch to branch for a ways, until he got to a point where the branches grew too thickly together. At that point, he had to resort to a more normal way for cats to climb trees – using his claws.

When he got near the top of the tree, he realized the tree he was on wasn't the tallest tree around, and wouldn't provide a good vantage point. Getting back down the tree proved more difficult, and he became very thankful of the jumping and balance training Genma had given him, even if it was for a different body.

After several more wrong choices, Ranma finally found a tree that rose above its' companions. Looking around he could see that he was (as expected) in a forested mountain valley. However, he could see no sign of Jusenkyo – it appeared he had wandered quite the ways. He also couldn't see any of the villages he knew to be in the area. Discouraged, Ranma headed back down again and continued his exploration on the ground.

Around noon, he felt himself growing tired again. He found a good spot and settled down, only to have the dreams of his time under the Neko-Ken return as soon as he'd nodded off. This time they were even more vivid, and with the proper body for each event.

When he first woke up, he found himself thinking of himself as a cat who had been trapped in a human's body prior to Jusenkyo; it took a bit of willpower to remind himself of the truth. Realizing what he'd been thinking was quite unsettling to Ranma. He hoped he could find someone who would teat him as a human soon or he feared he'd loose himself in the Neko-Ken once more, with no assurance this time that he'd come out of it. He might even need a cure to his curse to save his mind – the cat-mind seemed stronger in this body, and the longer he spent in it, the more he had to remind himself he was human.

Pushing this fear as far back into his mind as possible (not very, with so many other fears fighting so hard to get loose now), he began exploring again.

By now his hunger had become painful, but he was determined to hold onto his humanity and refrain from eating rodents or uncooked birds. Nonetheless, when he spotted another mouse, he crouched down and began slowly stalking it without thinking. It was only at the last minute that he realized what he was doing.

"_Get a hold of yourself, Ranma! You're human! You don't eat mice!"_ He started to break out of the crouch, but just then – either because of his movement, or for some other reason – the mouse started to dash away.

The cat-side of him didn't want his lunch was to get away, but even if he hadn't been hungry the cat-side would have found the mouse's movement irresistible. Ranma's human side was not only overruled, but that side barely even registered the pounce he made or the killing bite, until it was over.

The next thing he knew, he had something warm and wet, tasting of dirt and metal in his mouth; and the bloody body of a mouse, with a bite taken out of it, in front of him.

Ranma spit out the chunk of meat and started backing away, an argument in his mind over whether the taste in his mouth was delicious or nauseating as a backdrop to the battle of wills between the cat-mind that said to eat and his human-mind which was appalled at what he had just been doing.

The cat-mind reminded the human-mind that he had eaten such things before – the memories of hunting weren't just dreams, after all.

The cat-mind had been taking control from time to time ever since the pit... and since the pool, it had been taking control more and more often... If it weren't for the cat-mind, they wouldn't have survived the pit, and would have starved since the pool – they hadn't eaten a thing while under the human-mind's control in days!

Hunger helping to prove the cat-mind's point, Ranma found himself walking back to the mouse, and snapping up the chunk he'd spit out. His human side tried not to think about what he was doing as he ate the meat, and went to the mouse's body for more.

After his meal, the cat-mind decided to take a nap; his human side was too busy trying not to think about what he had just done to think of anything better to do. Once asleep, both Ranma's cat-side and human-side began to dream.

Once more, Ranma dreamed of his life – this time his time as a human, but with the added perspective of his cat mind. ...All the training under his father, for the purpose of being the best fighter possible... The cat-side understood and approved of this goal, but didn't understand why Ranma had rejected the fighting style of the Cat...

Within the dream-scape, Ranma's human-side could sense the cat-side's confusion. The human-side tried to argue that since Ranma was human, his human side should remain in control.

Before now the cat-side hadn't understood that he had been in a human body; now that he was remembering the human-side's experiences, the cat-side understood why he had felt so awkward in his body before Jusenkyo, and why it felt like his body was finally shaped and working correctly afterwards. The cat-side still didn't get why the human-side rejected the cat-mind, though; and the cat-side also pointed out that by the human-side's arguments, the cat-mind ought to be the one in control now.

The human-side argued that no matter what Ranma's current form was, Ranma's true form was human. The cat-side disagreed – it felt Ranma had always been a cat trapped in a human body; and at any rate the cat-side felt the past didn't really matter much except as something to learn from – it was the present that really mattered, and in the present Ranma was definitely a cat.

The human-side did not agree with the cat-side, either on having been a cat or on the past not mattering much. On the other hand, the hunger Ranma had felt over the past day was enough to prove that he was going to need to embrace his cat side to survive. Not only that, but much of his martial arts was no longer accessible to him in this form, so if he was to continue his path as a martial artist, he would need to allow himself to remember the moves of the Neko-Ken...

The human-side of him didn't like it, but Ranma knew what he must do.

...When the red cat awoke from his post-meal nap, he did so with his mental turmoil at last quieted. He remembered having been human until recently, but did not regret the change. Cat or Man, he was determined to survive and to become the best of fighters, and that was all that mattered.

The cat headed off to hunt down breakfast and then to train...

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the Amazon Village of Joketsetsu;_

"I'm afraid we haven't seen any other outsiders around here recently," Cologne replied to Genma's query. "If he was in his cat form, however, we easily could have missed him – there are many feral cats in the region and even in the village, and a new one wouldn't have stood out unless he acted particularly human."

Genma sighed. "What about the curse - is there a cure for it?"

Cologne answered, "That depends on what you mean by 'cure'... Once Jusenkyo's magic has touched a person, it shall always be a part of the person. However, the curse can be altered - you can be locked in cursed form, or mix or replace your curse with another curse."

"Is there a Spring of Drowned Man? If I used it, would that keep me in my natural form?"

Cologne cackled. "Yes, there is such a spring - but it won't help you. Unless you perform special rituals known only to us Amazons, your current curse will merely mix with the new curse. Instead of becoming an animal when wet, you'd become a freak of nature!"

Genma blanched at that. Then, remembering one thing she'd said, he asked, "If you know the ritual, though...?"

"Only Amazons may make use of the ritual. If you were to marry one of our warriors, we might see fit to cure you. Otherwise, I'm afraid our laws prevent us from helping you in this."

Genma sighed. "Very well. I guess I shall continue my search for my son then. Before I leave though, is there anywhere I could sleep and get some food...?"

Genma considered coming back in secret and seeing if they had written instructions for the ritual he could steal, however he didn't like the idea of having the Amazons chasing him around while he was still looking for his son. Later, it would occur to him that any texts the Amazons might have would likely be in Chinese (or whatever language the Amazons used) and he wouldn't be able to read them anyway.

* * *

_...Several Months Later..._

Deep in the bamboo forest of the Bayankala Mountains, a cat with red fur followed the smell of cooking fish to a small campsite. The cat was surprised to see that instead of a person, a panda sat by the fire, cooking the fish.

The cat formerly known as Ranma remembered a panda that had acted human – his father, after falling into a pool of Juesnkyo. Could this panda be Genma? Either way, there was fish here, so it bore further investigation. Cautiously, the cat approached the fire.

The panda spotted the cat, and swiftly upended a pan of hot water over the panda's head. To Ranma-cat's surprise, the panda transformed into a (somehow fully clothed) person! It really was Genma – but how had he transformed like that?!

Ranma stared at Genma, not sure what to think. Could Genma return him to human? Did Ranma even want to become human again? What would happen now that they were reunited?

"Ranma, is that you?" Genma asked.

Ranma-cat slowly nodded.

"Here, I'll change you back!" His mind still in turmoil, Ranma backed away, but not in time to avoid a splash of hot-water.

Where the cat had been, now a naked boy crouched on all fours, looking at himself in astonishment.

Genma explained, "After you ran off, the Guide explained that hot water will return you to normal, at least until you get splashed with cold water."

Ranma looked up from examining his hands, to look at Genma. Ranma thought that it would have been nice to know this much sooner – though assuming he still got lost in the woods in cat-form, he still would have had to embrace his cat mind.

"Oh, Ranma, I've missed you!" Genma said, and rushed at Ranma, arms open with the intent of giving him a hug. However, startled by the sudden movement, Ranma held up one hand and transparent glowing chi-claws extended from his fingers menacingly.

Genma halted and backed away a bit in shock. "Ranma?"

Ranma cocked his head. "Rrowr?"

Genma's eyes widened. "You're... in the Neko-Ken?! ...Oh shit..."

Ranma allowed the claws to dissipate, and lowered his head with a chuckle. "Not entirrrely, ...Pops.... You.... just.... starrrtled me." His words were a bit hesitant, and sounded slightly off, but the tone of voice was still Ranma's.

"But... But – the claws!"

"I said not entirrrely." He sat back but kept his hands and feet on the ground, sitting like a cat. "I rrrememberrr it now, Pops. I can think like a cat... use the Neko-Ken... and still rrememberr... that I was borrn human..."

Genma was ecstatic. "That's great!" He rushed forward again, and though Ranma did flinch for a moment, this time Ranma let Genma hug him.

After Genma finished hugging him, Genma stepped back to look over his son. Taking note of the fact that Ranma was naked, Genma went over to one of the packs, and pulled out one of Ranma's gis. "Here," he said, handing Ranma the gi. "I figured since you left behind your gi in the Spring of Drowned Cat, you would probably need new clothes, so I brought this with me."

Ranma held the gi and looked at it for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Hmm... I suppose it is a bit cold, without furr..."

Genma sweat-dropped. "My sentiments exactly," he replied, even as he wondered what thinking he was stuck as a cat might have done to Ranma's mind, and how long it would take for him to get back to normal.

Ranma put on the gi, then they sat down to eat. Before long, out of habit Genma tried to steal some of Ranma's food – however, Genma's chopsticks suddenly split into several pieces and fell to the ground. Ranma scowled at Genma and hissed.

Genma scratched the back of his head. "Heh heh heh... We'll just eat our own meals for now..."

After they finished eating, Genma began to get out the sleeping bags.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just sleep in animal form?" Ranma asked.

Genma sweat-dropped again. "I hadn't thought of that..."

* * *

_...The Next Morning..._

"So, here's your half of the load," Genma said, handing Ranma a pack.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"Of course! Back to Japan!"

Ranma cocked his head. "What's wrong with staying here? I have a pretty nice territory, and several female cats in the Amazon Village who will want to have more of my kittens..."

Genma sweatdropped. "Well... That's all well and good, but you can't teach martial arts to normal cats. In Japan, though, there are human girls you can... er... mate with... and you can pass on your fighting skills to your children through them!"

"Hmm..."

"Also.. I think it's time we go home. Your mother has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Mom's... alive?!"

"Of course she is!"

"But I thought..."

"That she died? I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. It wasn't my intention, I assure you!"

Ranma eyed him suspiciously.

"Okay... So maybe I might have said something at one point – but only so you wouldn't be constantly begging to go home!"

Ranma narrowed his eyes.

Genma nervously put on his pack. "Well, let's get going..."

Ranma decided he might as well head to Japan with Genma – he liked the idea of seeing his mother, and having children he could pass on the Art to. If things didn't work out, he could always come back.

Ranma pulled on his own pack, but pointed out as they walked off, "You know, you're going to end up carrying this pack too, as soon as it rains."

"..."

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End Prelude/One-Shot

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Author's Note:

I came up with this idea in fall of 2005, not long after I first got into Ranma ½ fanfiction (it was actually my first ever Ranma fanfic idea). I didn't get to writing it, however, until spring of 2006. Not long after this, my computer died. Luckily I had the story (along with just about everything else on my computer) saved on a backup hard-drive, but while I was waiting to get my computer fixed, I wrote another version, on paper.

The paper version reached the end of the "Prelude/One-Shot" while the digital version did not. On the other hand, the digital version went into more detail and had elements I wanted to retain that I had forgotten to included in the paper version. Once I got my computer working again, I combined the two versions – unfortunately, the two didn't mesh very well together, and not long after that I got caught up in some other project.

Since then, I've occasionally returned to this story, trying to mesh the two versions together better and otherwise polish the story, but until now I've always came away feeling unsatisfied.

I have ideas for future chapters; however I don't know if I'll get to them. (As I've said before, I have a lot of story ideas but hardly ever get around to writing.) In the meantime, as this chapter works as a one-shot, I'll call this story "complete" - for now.

* * *

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Omake:

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Happosai laughed with glee. "Now that I've hit your Ultimate Weakness Pressure Point, you're as weak as a kitten!"

Ranma flexed his fingers, and threw a few practice punches. then he looked up at Happosai, and swiped at him with one hand, chi-claws extend.

For a moment everything was still. Then five large gashes split open over Happosai's body, and he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Ranma said coldly, "Even kittens have claws."

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End Omake

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